Ecclesia Militans

Something to think about

Mar 3, 2015

Education is not the filling of a vessel, but the kindling of a flame.

Socrates as quoted in neo-SSPX video

It starts with a quote from the pagan philosopher Socrates and ends with an invitation to support Catholic education by buying a raffle ticket for a 2015 Malibu LS (through a link to smac.edu). Such is the New video on St. Mary’s Academy & College‏, delivered via the SSPX E-pistola.

Really, with all things considered as regards the neo-SSPX, this is more or less yawn territory, now. Nevertheless, the highbrow piano composition serves to keep the viewer’s attention. If one does continue to view the New video on St. Mary’s Academy & College, then the words of Mr. Andrew Clarendon reward with a bit of tragicomedy.

Mr. Andrew Clarendon, Department Head, St. Mary’s Academy, attempts to describe the institution’s objective: “The academy seeks to develop the whole man: physical attributes, mental attributes, moral attributes, spiritual attributes. We’re less interested in memorization of data and of discrete facts and we’re more interested in developing the student the ability to find those facts, to process those facts, to know the meaning of those facts and how they fit into the whole. So, in other words, we are interested in developing human beings.”

The tragedy: “We’re less interested in memorization of data and of discrete facts and we’re more interested in developing the student the ability to find those facts, to process those facts, to know the meaning of those facts and how they fit into the whole.”

Even the well-heeled, highbrow-ish, secularists know that such a strategy is bunk. An article on the George Lucas (of Star Wars fame) Educational Foundation site offers a bit of free education on the benefits of rote learning: “Before students can think critically, they need to have something to think about in their brains. It is true that knowledge without comprehension is of little use, but comprehension requires knowledge . . .the highest order of thinking occurs at the evaluating and creating levels which infer that the thinkers must have knowledge, facts, data, or information in their brains to combine into something new, or with which to judge relative importance or value. Therefore, effective knowledge acquisition has to come first.”[1]
Then again, empty vessels might be much more comfortable with the neo-SSPX; conversely, the neo-SSPX might be much more comfortable with empty vessels. A gambling man might wager a bet on the latter.

More tragedy: “So, in other words, we are interested in developing human beings.” As suspected, if you Google “developing human beings”, then you will get “About 47,000,000 results” on human development, as in baby on the way.
According to the above statement, St. Mary’s Academy & College is seeking to do very little for their students, as human beings are already developed, once born. More study is recommended on this topic or, at least, the wording thereof.

The comedy: It is pretentious. It is misguided. It lacks attention to detail. It is commercial. It is lowbrow.
And they paid for this bit of hogwash? Hence the raffles, one would suppose!